Let Me In/Let the Right One In

[Bryan Pope]

I realize that this episode has been around a few weeks now, but I just got around to listening to it this morning. That was a most intelligent dissection of both movies. I still want to see Let Me In, only now for different reasons thanks to you guys. Good job.

[mavrach]

I finally listened to this one today. I loved Let the Right One In, and for completion's sake had Let Me In in my queue for the longest time, but couldn't bring myself to watch it for the reasons described on the podcast. The idea of remaking foreign movies just so people won't have to deal with subtitles infuriates me to no end. I know I'd just get pissed if I watched the remake, and I'd only do so for the sake of being able to talk about it. The original is such an edgy and original movie, with ideas that would be dumbed down for US audiences. I can only imagine what's going to happen with the Oldboy remake.

Great podcast as always, sorry for not listening to this one sooner!

[Steve T Power]

I finally listened to this one today. I loved Let the Right One In, and for completion's sake had Let Me In in my queue for the longest time, but couldn't bring myself to watch it for the reasons described on the podcast. The idea of remaking foreign movies just so people won't have to deal with subtitles infuriates me to no end. I know I'd just get pissed if I watched the remake, and I'd only do so for the sake of being able to talk about it. The original is such an edgy and original movie, with ideas that would be dumbed down for US audiences. I can only imagine what's going to happen with the Oldboy remake.

Great podcast as always, sorry for not listening to this one sooner!

Gotta say, I watched the remake first, loved it, and it kinda killed a little of the original's appeal for me... so be it.

[mkiker2089]

They are very different takes on the same story so I think it's possible to like them both. I did in fact. I give the remake 4 out of 5 stars and the original 4.25 because the remake feels a little glossed over at time where the original stabs the knife in deeper.

Here's the thing, Let Me In is a movie in itself. Don't judge it by the original, don't judge it by the novel, don't judge it by traditional vampire lore, etc... If it isn't in the movie, it doesn't exist. Too many people say "they lift this out" or "they didn't explain that" and I say just get over it. Once you accept that all is well.

I think the most common complaint is the change of Elli / Abby. Spoliers are below and I'm not going to try and mask them so just live with it.








spoilers----
The book had Ellli be a castrated boy and her keeper be a pedo who stayed with her because unlike all humans she won't ever grow up and look like an adult. (I'm not sure that's why they like kids, but who am I to argue).

In the original Elli's keeper isn't really explained nor is the scene where we see her damaged torso. It's like they chickened out after introducing the issue but by then it was too late.. People then cite that as a failure of the remake bit it's not in the original either. I'm sorry, I don't care is you elude to the peeking scene, it's not there. I think otherwise it's a great movie but they'd have been better leaving that out, or explaining it.

In the remake it's implied that Abby met her companion as a child. That created a certain rush when it was discovered because we know that Owen is likely to suffer a similar fate as her past keeper. It is NOT (in my opinion) said that Abby was ever a boy. If it's not in the movie it's not part of this movies story so we have to drop it. In that respect they did a better job of portraying her past and I think the reveal of the child photo was a very powerful statement to make. More powerful than falling back on cliched pedophilia.

[mkiker2089]

I finally listened to this one today. I loved Let the Right One In, and for completion's sake had Let Me In in my queue for the longest time, but couldn't bring myself to watch it for the reasons described on the podcast. The idea of remaking foreign movies just so people won't have to deal with subtitles infuriates me to no end. I know I'd just get pissed if I watched the remake, and I'd only do so for the sake of being able to talk about it. The original is such an edgy and original movie, with ideas that would be dumbed down for US audiences. I can only imagine what's going to happen with the Oldboy remake.

Great podcast as always, sorry for not listening to this one sooner!

I think this one was more than language though. Many people won't understand the world presented and will assume it's poor story telling. I can't recall the examples but people online smarter than I tried to explain it. I know the police that are so infective that getting a report filed is supposed to be one. People living in very cold climates will also understand that areas teeming with pedestrians become ghost towns in the winter. Both aspects had to be toned down to help broaden the appeal

Kind of like Mad Max. It was meant (could be wrong) to simply be an exaggerated crime thriller. Urban viewers just could no comprehend a world so empty and barren (never been to Montana I assume, the Southeast is the same but with trees in place of flatland) so the sequels were changed to be post apocalyptic. In a way the sequels were like remakes to get urban / western audiences to understand them.

[mavrach]

Crap, maybe I'm going to have to watch the remake to settle all this.


SPOILERS


The Eli reveal scene in the original confused me at first. It was blurry and quick, and didn't even occur to me that she was a castrated boy until the podcast. I saw the stitching but was myself just shocked that they would show that sort of a shot of a child, then not further acknowledge it.

[mkiker2089]

Crap, maybe I'm going to have to watch the remake to settle all this.


SPOILERS


The Eli reveal scene in the original confused me at first. It was blurry and quick, and didn't even occur to me that she was a castrated boy until the podcast. I saw the stitching but was myself just shocked that they would show that sort of a shot of a child, then not further acknowledge it.

I'm still inclined to say that it's not in that movie either. We can argue all day long about the Dekard Replicant thing in Blade Runner and I'll accept why people think he is one, but he isn't.

Anyway in this case there was just too much unsaid for me to really accept any inference about her ever being a boy. Castrated boys typically have a penis so s/he was more than just castrated. She was full on changed and that's not a castrated boy anymore, that's a transgender if I have my terminology correct. The girl could almost pull off the story if they had broached it however because she acted a bit butch perhaps for lack of a better term.

Chloe was not able to at all. She can't help but be cute even when she's drinking people's blood or shooting them with twin pistols. As a side note I was horribly upset watching Hugo when she failed to kill anyone. Going by her past movies it just seemed natural.

[mavrach]

Yeah, castration is dark enough for the story, full on removal of everything really requires an explanation of some sort. It's a neat twist to really make her a boy, especially after the "I'm not a girl" line, but something that terrible needs a little more.

[J.M. Vargas]

Fun fact: this is the only 'F This Movie' podcast (of 105 to date) in which a foreign language non-American movie is 'F'ed by Patrick & Co. (though I'm still unsure whether he and JB saw "Let The Right One In" with English subtitles or with the English dub). I watched them both recently (because I owned one of them but also to be able to listen to the podcast) and it's one of the better (and shortest) podcasts to date. Personally there's no going back to the American remake after seeing the Swedish original (the fact the little boy isn't a total innocent like Owen in the US remake, but a mini-sociopath in the making based on what he fantasies about doing before he meets the "girl," automatically gives the Swedish version more layered subtext), not to mention it just feels right that this type of story/characters would take place in Europe and not 'any cold American city, USA.'

[mkiker2089]

how is the dub? Netflix apparently had the correct subtitles. Other versions seemed to have truncated subtitles which changed the tone a bit.

I think you judge the American version too harshly. It may not have as deep a subtext but it's good on it's own. We could argue that one all day however. I'm not sure Oscar was a sociopath for example. I think he was justifiably angry and role playing defensive scenarios based on what he's seen, the bully. I'm not sure Owen on the other hand has as much subtext even if he is innocent. You have innocence corrupted, the protection of innocence by the very evil that is corrupting, the future of Owen, etc.. It's as deep as you let it be. Will Owen one day be taken for granted as well? Will he take to evil to feed his companion? Contrast that to Oscar? Possible sociopath or not how will his life be with Elli? Leaving out what wasn't in the movie (possible gender issues) why do Abby / Elli want new companions at this point?